Definitive information to the most secure vehicles and those to fret about: FRED KELLY analyses Ford, Kia, VW Vauxhall, Nissan and so many extra…

Are we there yet? When it comes to road safety, the answer appears to be a resounding no. 

For despite car safety coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, figures released last month reveal that modern hybrid vehicles are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as their petrol predecessors.

According to the Department for Transport, 122 people died in collisions involving hybrid vehicles last year. 

And while 777 fatal accidents involved solely petrol vehicles, such cars outnumber hybrids on the road by 20 to one.

No wonder experts are calling for an emergency inquiry.

‘Plug-in hybrids are often heavier and more complex vehicles owing to the fact they run on both a traditional combustion engine and a battery,’ admitted road transport expert Nicholas Lyes, adding that the blend of conventional mechanics with high-tech electrical engineering can lead to ‘fire scenarios which are harder for firemen to put out’.

But electric, petrol and diesel-powered vehicles have problems of their own.

Here, the Daily Mail takes a look at some of the most popular cars on British roads and asks a simple question with serious consequences: how safe is your vehicle?

Our safety ratings account for a number of variables. As a starting point, we have used the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) safety ratings.

The NCAP awards new cars one to five stars based on simulations of ‘real-life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed car occupants or other road users’. 

However, the NCAP admits that its safety ratings ‘can never fully capture the complexity of the real world’ and, as it changes its criteria each year to account for the latest technological and mechanical advances, a car that achieved a five-star rating in 2020 may not do so in 2025.

Therefore, the Mail has factored into its own ratings the age of the car and how safety technology has changed since its conception, as well as factors such as product recalls and faults discovered since these vehicles hit the road.

It is important to note that all cars assessed here have been approved for sale in the UK and the most dangerous thing in a car is not the vehicle itself but the person behind the wheel.

Suzuki Swift 

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In a front-on collision, the Suzuki Swift was found to provide ‘weak’ protection of the driver’s chest and only ‘marginal’ protection for a host of other body parts.

This hybrid model has no central airbag which means the driver could be hurled towards the front passenger in a side-on collision. No wonder the NCAP ranked it one of the five least-safe cars tested in 2024.

Hyundai Venue 

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According to the trade outfit iSeeCars, the Hyundai Venue – a petrol-driven model – has the highest number of fatal accidents – 13.9 – of any car per billion miles driven.

It’s a shocking statistic and one that means you’re 4.9 times more likely to die in a Hyundai Venue than the average vehicle.

The accident rate of this cumbersome SUV is likely to be down to its higher centre of gravity, which increases the likelihood of the vehicle rolling over in a collision.

Jeep Wrangler 4xE 

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This plug-in hybrid has been branded one of the most poorly made and unreliable vehicles. First sold in 2021, hundreds of thousands of Wrangler units were recalled last year after 19 incidents of spontaneous combustion were reported in the US alone.

Drivers have also complained about engine shutdowns caused by a bug in the computer software, while others have reported the battery pack overheating. A few weeks ago, Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf offered his ‘sincerest apologies’ and gave Wrangler owners a $100 (£74) gift card in penance.

Kia hybrids

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In January this year, Kia announced it was recalling more than 640,000 hybrids including the Ceed, Niro and Xceed models over fears the vehicles may catch fire due to the possibility of clutch fluid leaking into the circuit board.

Such an event can lead to a short circuit and – in the words of Kia from a letter sent to customers – this can ‘result in a risk of fire in the engine compartment while driving’.

Renault Zoe 

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The Zoe was awarded a zero-star safety rating from the NCAP in December 2021 after the manufacturer removed a number of safety features including side airbags. The fully electric Zoe became only the third car in history to receive a zero rating from the NCAP and yet it remains a mainstay on our motorways and Renault insists the vehicle is safe.

Jeep Avenger 

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The Avenger, available as fully electric, petrol-driven or hybrid, was rated one of the least safe cars of those tested by the NCAP in 2024.

Regulators warned there are few systems in place to protect occupants from colliding with one another in a crash, with children sitting in the rear seats at greatest risk in a side-on collision.

Most alarmingly, the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is considered by the 2024 test to be marginal or poor, posing a risk to other road users, too.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

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On December 16 last year, Toyota recalled some 50,000 Camry vehicles over fears that an engineering fault could pose a fire risk. 

According to the manufacturer: ‘A bolt inside the inverter in the hybrid powertrain can become loose and could lead to a loss of motive power or could lead to a fire when the vehicle is on.’

Ford Fiesta

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There are more than 1.5 million Fiestas on British roads. One study on the 2016 model found that an owner driving the car for 15 years had a 0.0051 per cent chance of dying in an accident.

That may seem small, but the Fiesta is still 18 per cent more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than an average vehicle and nine per cent more likely than its direct small-car competitors.

Vauxhall Astra 

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There’s no central airbag in the Astra and chest protection for front-on collisions is not considered best in class. The good news for Astra fans is that the latest models come with the ‘Vauxhall Connect e-Call’ feature meaning the emergency services will be alerted automatically should you be involved in an accident.

Dacia Duster 

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The Duster was awarded just three stars out of five by the NCAP, making it the second worst-performing vehicle tested in 2024. 

It has a limited ability to detect anything or anyone it may reverse into, and was branded ‘weak’ at detecting an individual in a road the car is turning into.

Mercedes-Benz GLC 350E

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This hybrid has caused Mercedes more trouble than any other car in its roster.

Owners complained that the 12V battery drains unusually quickly, the car frequently fails to recognise electric charging equipment and its electronics can freeze – an issue known as ‘bricking’ – rendering it immobile.

Indeed, the vehicle has been described as ‘just about unrepairable’ by automotive journalist Shari Prymak, due to the prohibitive costs of maintenance.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

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The first plug-in hybrid Honda built for the UK market was awarded five stars by the NCAP in 2024, providing strong protection for adults in the front seats as well as children in the rear. 

The hybrid boasts 11 airbags and a 360-degree camera system that monitors driver blind spots.

However, Honda recalled some units after fuel pump defects risked sudden combustion, while some vehicles built between October 2022 and January 2023 were fitted with defective Panasonic batteries that contained insufficient copper cladding, leading to the possibility of failure or fire.

Tesla Model 3

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The Model 3 is said to be one of the safest cars on the market, with unrivalled NCAP scores and a groundbreaking ‘Sentry’ security system that starts filming anyone who approaches the vehicle.

However, just two days before Christmas, a US safety regulator opened an investigation into the Model 3 following allegations the manual door-release mechanism is hidden, unlabelled and therefore – in an emergency – essentially useless. 

It has since emerged that engineers warned Tesla owner Elon Musk about the danger of hiding the manual handle but were ignored.

MG HS

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Owned by the Chinese giant SAIC, MG is an historic brand and the HS its best-selling model in the UK. Yet a Carbuyer survey in 2023 found that 33 per cent of owners identified an issue within a year of ownership, with 34 per cent of those being problems of an electrical nature.

Despite being awarded a five-star NCAP rating a year ago, some users feel the constant bleating of warnings on the dash – including if you go just a single mph above the speed limit – are a dangerous distraction.

MG4 EV

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According to a Which? safety test, the electric MG4’s lane-keeping system exhibits ‘unusual behaviour’ and on one occasion, while testing on a small country lane, veered towards an oncoming vehicle in order to avoid a hedge.

Toyota Prius

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UK car industry data found that the Prius was involved in more crashes than any other vehicle – 111 in every 10,000 in 2016. 

But it was widely accepted that the data is skewed by the fact that the Prius is the car of choice for Uber drivers operating in busy cities.

Vauxhall Corsa

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The Corsa was launched in 2014 and, although a new model was released at the turn of the decade, the original remains the most common on British roads.

In 2014 the car was awarded a modest four stars by the NCAP, but a series of improvements ensured that the 2019 generation retained its four-star rating, even in the face of standards becoming more rigorous.

However, despite ‘good’ protection for children aged between six and ten in the rear seats, the regulator found the car offered ‘poor’ protection for adults sitting in the back seats, especially in the event of the vehicle being rammed from behind.

Audi A3

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Awarded five stars by the NCAP in 2025, the A3 five-door hatchback was given scores of 86 per cent for adult protection and 81 per cent for child protection. Those scores were driven down by the absence of a knee airbag and a central airbag on the passenger side.

The A3 does not have an ‘active bonnet’ – which is where the bonnet automatically raises in the event of a pedestrian collision to cushion the blow – meaning the car poses a greater risk to the public than other vehicles at its lofty price point.

Ford Puma

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When the Puma was first tested in 2019 it received a five-star rating from the NCAP. That dropped to four stars in 2022 as other newer models pushed ahead and the benchmark was raised.

The front seat headrests offer only ‘marginal’ protection against whiplash injuries and the absence of central airbags leaves passengers vulnerable to being thrown across the car in the event of a side-on collision.

Ford Focus

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The latest Focus generation is fitted with three radars, two cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors, marking a significant upgrade on the tech previously found inside one of the UK’s most popular small cars. 

Vitally, the most recently produced iteration of the Focus can withstand a further 40 per cent load in a frontal impact than previous models.

Nissan Qashqai 

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Dropped to a four-star NCAP rating in 2025 due to rising safety standards, the Qashqai might not have the latest in ‘driver monitoring’ and ‘pedestrian detection’ mod-cons, but this doesn’t make the car itself unsafe.

This small SUV won the What Car? ‘Safety Award’ in 2022 largely due to its faultless test results on children in the rear seats.

Adults in the front fare less well, and it’s worth noting the absence of pelvic airbags for those with wider hips.

BMW i4 

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This electric car’s petrol predecessor received a five-star safety score. The BMW i4, however, received a four-star NCAP rating in 2022, with experts believing this can only be attributed to the dangers of replacing traditional mechanical elements with more volatile electrical motors and batteries.

Volvo XC40

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Made of boron steel, this car boasts 97 per cent adult protection in case of a crash, according to the NCAP. This is in no small part down to the boot being specially configured to absorb impact and protect the cabin.

However, the car was tested by the NCAP against 2018 specifications, making direct comparison with more recent models tricky.

VW Tiguan

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With a 96 per cent adult protection rating from the NCAP, this 2016 model is a popular choice for the safety-conscious. The car boasts a ‘safety cage’ with manufactured ‘crumple zones’ designed to absorb impacts and protect passengers.

Pedestrians may not fare so well, with a 68 per cent safety score for vulnerable road users likely due to compromises made on radar software.

Mini Cooper

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The latest generation of the Mini was awarded five stars by the NCAP in September 2025. Unlike many smaller cars, the Mini has a central airbag for the driver that reduces the risk of injury from a lateral collision.

There are no knee airbags, however, which can increase the risk of injury in the event of a frontal crash in which the knees can push the thigh bone into the hip, popping the lower vertebrae and causing paralysis.

Porsche 911 

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The latest 911 isn’t just sleek engineering, it’s a masterclass in technology-assisted safety. 

The car boasts everything from microphones in the wheel arches – to detect moisture on the road – to 360-degree camera views, night vision, and matrix LED lights that dim for oncoming traffic while maintaining full beam on the surroundings.

Kia Sportage

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Post-2022 models of the Sportage are considered extremely safe, scoring 87 per cent for adult safety and 86 per cent for children, according to the NCAP, making it one of the safest family SUVs.

Importantly, the car scored a perfect rating for ‘rescue and extraction’ – after all, safety isn’t just about avoiding a crash but escaping from one with your life.

Skoda Elroq

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As electric vehicles go, the Skoda Elroq is one of the safest on the market, achieving a five-star NCAP rating against the latest 2025 standards. 

At the top of the range, optional extras include matrix LED headlights and an ‘area-view’ camera system.

Volvo EX30 

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This fully electric SUV – Volvo’s smallest ever – is one of the safest on the market with a five-star NCAP rating courtesy of an 88 per cent adult protection and 85 per cent child protection score.

The EX30 also boasts a complete set of driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition.

Some drivers have reported the cruise control feature applying the brake unnecessarily, but the car’s sturdy physical features more than make up for any minor software glitches.

VW Golf 

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The benchmark for affordable safety. The Golf is ubiquitous across the UK and sturdier than its smaller sister, the Volkswagen Polo.

However, like all cars, the older models leave a lot to be desired.

In a 2020 test between a new Golf and a 1990s model, the pre-millennium Golf II left its occupants with ‘little chance of surviving’.

The front tyres were pushed back into the footwell, the roof collapsed, the doors blew in and the steering wheel was shunted up into the driver’s chest.

And yet, given the same collision simulation, occupants of the latest-generation Golf ‘would likely have escaped with minor injuries’.